Peels are a well-known means for improving the surface appearance of the skin, in particular for treating visible and/or tactile irregularities of human skin, and, for example, reducing pigmentation defects such as actinic lentigo or acne or chickenpox marks, or for smoothing out skin texture irregularities, in particular wrinkles and fine lines.
These peels have the effect of removing a part of the skin to be treated (epidermis and, optionally, superficial layer of the dermis) by means of chemical methods such as the application of compositions containing high concentrations of agents for stimulating desquamation of the skin, such as hydroxy acids, for instance glycolic acid or salicylic acid, or else other active agents such as, for example, retinoic acid, resorcin, trichloroacetic acid or phenol. Thus, document U.S. Pat. No. 6,787,148 describes compositions containing anhydrous products containing a phenol and a polyethylene glycol derivative.
Although the compositions used up until now for carrying out chemical peels have been able to give satisfactory results, it nevertheless remains that they are not without side effects. Specifically, the products used for peels generally contain acidic keratolytic agents at high concentration, giving compositions of pH<2, and as a result they bring about considerable discomfort upon application and after application (redness, stinging, burning sensation). Thus, salicylic acid peels can give rise to salicylism in the event of overdose or of sustained application.